Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 28:1-28.  Let’s go!

Job 28:1-11 (NIV) 
1  “There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
2  Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
3  Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness.
4  Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft, in places forgotten by the foot of man; far from men he dangles and sways.
5  The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire;
6  sapphires come from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7  No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8  Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there.
9  Man’s hand assaults the flinty rock and lays bare the roots of the mountains.
10  He tunnels through the rock; his eyes see all its treasures.
11  He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light.

On verses 1-11:  Why does Job speak at length about how people mine for silver and gold?  It’s because Job is comparing getting wisdom to mining for precious metals.  In both cases the treasure is hidden beneath the surface, requires an intentional and difficult search to find, is hard to reach (v4), and cannot be perceived by bird or beast (v7-8, 20-21).

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 27:1-12. Let’s go!

Job 27:1-12 (NIV) 
1  And Job continued his discourse:
2  “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul,
3  as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils,
4  my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit.
5  I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity……..

On verses 1-12:  After his friends have repeatedly tried to convince Job that he has sinned and needs to repent, here in these verses Job is more adamant than ever about his innocence.  As he says in verses 5-6, “I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.”  Later on, when God appears to Job and speaks to him directly, Job will repent.  But until God appears to him personally, Job will not budge no matter how much his friends try to accuse him.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 25:1-26:14. Let’s go!

Job 25:1-6 (NIV) 
1  Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: 
2  “Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven. 
3  Can his forces be numbered? Upon whom does his light not rise? 
4  How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? 
5  If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes, 
6  how much less man, who is but a maggot– a son of man, who is only a worm!”
 
On verses 1-6: To paraphrase Bildad, “Who are you, Job, to think that you can prove yourself righteous in God’s eyes?  No human being is pure before God.”

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 24:1-25.  Let’s go!

Job 24:1-17 (NIV) 
1  “Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?
2  Men move boundary stones; they pasture flocks they have stolen.
3  They drive away the orphan’s donkey and take the widow’s ox in pledge.
4  They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
5  Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go about their labor of foraging food; the wasteland provides food for their children……..

On verses 1-17:  Job sees so much injustice around him – people stealing others’ property (v2), taking advantage of the weak and poor (v3-8), and causing the most vulnerable in society to suffer the most (v9-12).  Job sees murder (v14), adultery (v15), robberies (v16), people reveling in the darkness and avoiding the light (v16-17).  In the face of all this injustice, Job questions why “God charges no one with wrongdoing” (v12) and “Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?” (v1)